Pac-Man arcade maze game guide

Pac-Man is an arcade maze game designed by Toru Iwatani and released by Namco in 1980. It was first called Puck Man in Japan. You guide a round yellow hero through a maze, eating dots while four colourful ghosts chase you. Iwatani wanted a game that would appeal to everyone, not just fans of shooting games, and the friendly design worked: Pac-Man became one of the most famous video games in history and one of the first game characters known around the world. Its simple shapes, sound effects and short rounds made it perfect for arcades, and it has since appeared on almost every gaming system. The ghosts, Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde, each have their own personality.

How to play Pac-Man

You steer Pac-Man up, down, left and right with a joystick. The goal of each level is to eat every dot in the maze. Four ghosts leave a central house and chase you; touching one costs a life. Each ghost moves in its own pattern: the red one, Blinky, follows you directly, while the others try to get ahead of you or move in less predictable ways. In each corner of the maze is a large power pellet. Eating one turns the ghosts blue for a short time, and during that time you can eat them for bonus points; their eyes then return to the ghost house. Eating several ghosts in a row gives growing scores. Fruit and other bonus items appear near the centre for extra points. Tunnels on the left and right sides let you exit one side and appear on the other. Each new level is faster and gives less time with blue ghosts.

Tips for new players

• Save power pellets until several ghosts are close, then eat as many as you can.
• Use the side tunnels; ghosts move more slowly inside them.
• Clear the far areas of the maze first and keep the centre for later.
• Learn each ghost's habit; Blinky chases directly while the others try to cut you off.